I hope this chapter will be as fun to read as I hoped it was when I planned it.
Haruhi stared at her father through the open door of the bathroom. Ranka was observing himself in the mirror, applying concealer under his eyes. Working night shifts and having poor sleeping schedules always reflected badly on his face. These damn circles! He rubbed the powder over the lines under his eyes. Haruhi's lips curled upwards, seeing her father frustrated with his make-up.
"Are you going to meet again that new friend of yours?" she asked, walking into the bathroom to take some headache pills from the medicine cabinet. "Saori-san."
Ranka wheeled around and gave his daughter a cheerful smile. "You are awake," he acknowledged softly. "Did I wake you up? You don't look like you have got a lot of sleep."
Haruhi grabbed the pills from the medicine cabinet cautiously, not wanting her father to know that she wasn't feeling well. "I am fine," she mumbled. "After the exams and a lot of schoolwork, it's unusual to be home."
She shifted out and walked to the kitchen, leaving Ranka in the bathroom. "So," she called loudly, "Seeing Saori-san―the friend you have met in the market?"
"No, not really," her father's voice came closer, as he strode into the kitchen with his mini-suitcase. "Her husband is a bit of an old bat from what she had told me, and she doesn't get to go out much. Can you believe that? However, we have plans to meet next week or so to go for shopping in this antique shop. She is such a lovely woman. Pity, you didn't meet her."
"Then, where are you going?"
He smiled and folded a piece of strange glittery blouse. Haruhi stared at the clothing article with flat a expression and sipped from her glass, waiting for her father to finally explain where he was heading with a suitcase full of glittery blouses and frilly dresses.
"I am going to Karuizawa to help Misuza. His pension got hired to host a big party for some fancy people, and he needs help."
"His pension doesn't seem like the kind of place people would want to have big parties in," Haruhi expressed her surprise, pursing her lips.
"Well, you can guess that some rich people don't want their little adventures to happen in a well-known place, so Isao's pension is the right spot. He needed a bartender, so he called me," Ranka said, squeezing the folded item into the suitcase. "I will make a bit of money for the week. You will alright without me, right? Recently you don't look so well, you eat very little. I can tell something is wrong."
Haruhi sighed softly. She didn't realize that she wasn't eating well. Since the school year ended and the spring holidays started everything had been kind of fuzzy for her, and she still couldn't understand why. She jumped up startled when her father cupped her face all of a sudden.
"Daddy will miss his little cute girl," he started to whine unapologetically, making Haruhi's ears almost bleed. "How are you going to stay alone without me? Daddy is sad that Haruhi will be alone."
"Dad," she pushed him away. "I will be fine. It's not the first time. I can take care of myself. You will be late from your train if you stay longer."
Ranka let go off her reluctantly and then hugged and twirled her around one more time before leaving the house.
Haruhi sat down in the kitchen and rubbed her temples. She felt tired. Very tired. Her body felt sore, and she felt like she hadn't been sleeping for nights. There was a cheerful song on the TV, and Haruhi begrudgingly turned it off. Those happy, squeaky voices were making her headache worse. She hadn't seen Kyoya-senpai since the spring break had started. After the incident, he avoided her. Although, they would still meet during the breaks and talk to each other, he refused to have any of her blood. She was very worried about his well-being and couldn't understand why he was being so stubborn.
It was true that someone had caught them, and she was almost expelled because of it, and yes, it was also true that for whatever reason the blood drinking had caused the strange burning, but it was her choice. She knew what she had agreed to, and it wasn't like he had forced her. She couldn't tell why she felt so angry and so upset. All of these strange tedious feelings were driving her mad. Why did his complete disregard and refusal to take a notice of her make her so angry? There was a peculiar, nearly unhealthy kind of yearning in her heart to meet him and demand explanations for his behavior.
She had kept his book in the hope of seeing him again after the holidays. The days following the incident made Kyoya more distant and detached. And he looked progressively ill over the days until the exams were over and the year ended. She would try to talk to him, but he just closed the conversation so masterfully that she didn't even realize how it came that they were talking about something different rather than what she asked.
Haruhi sighed and stood up. She was very tired. And her father was right; she didn't really eat well in the recent days. Every time she would put a piece of food in her mouth, she would feel guilty. In times like this, she felt more appreciative of being the way she was, being able to feel the sunlight and the cold, and eat her favourite food, and even when it wasn't the best in the world she still could do it. She sighed again, as if the oxygen somehow was blocking her airways rather than helping her to relax and breath, and grabbed the pan. Maybe a little breakfast would clear her head and make her feel less exhausted.
She took out the vegetables and eggs out of the fridge and put the pan on the fire. Her movements were slow, sluggish, and she was constantly blinking as if to clear her muddy vision. Things seemed a little blurry that morning, unsettling and disoriented. She shook her head with a low groan, as the twitchy throbbing in her head came to hound her with more relentless and tenacious passion. These damn headaches were becoming out of control.
Since the school break and the start of spring holidays, she didn't speak to Kyoya-senpai. He answered some of her texts with laconic messages, telling her he was fine and asking about her well-being, but mostly all her messages and calls went unanswered, and she didn't want to pester him. She was worried that he would starve himself, like he did apparently before. It made Haruhi's sense of pride and goodness feel ill. She wanted to be a lawyer like her mother, because her memories of the woman was when she went to help people. Her mother was brave and kind, and she protected people and saw justice for them.
She sighed again this time more loudly, and put the scrambled eggs in the pan along with minced sausage. It smelled good when the heated butter started to fry them. Why was she even thinking about him? She needed to get a life. This was getting ridiculous.
She flipped the fried eggs in the pan and poured herself some tea. The painkiller didn't stop her headache, and she felt worse actually. She sipped from the cup, and the hot steamy water made her throat more uncomfortable by warming it up. It wasn't very warm at the end of March, but Haruhi felt burning hot like she was working inside a blacksmith's workshop. She inhaled sharply, and instead of finishing her tea, drunk a cup of cold water, but it did very little to relieve the burning in her limbs and chest.
It started to spread just like that day a few weeks ago. It spread through her veins, boiling her blood. She almost fell down when she stood up to turn off the stove. There was no one at home, and if she fainted, she wouldn't be found unless she regained her consciousness herself. She needed to make the burning stop. Haruhi gripped the sides of the wall and walked to the bathroom. Splash of cold water on her face didn't help either. It was starting to make her head heavy, and she fell on the bathroom floor.
She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't keep her eyes open. Blurry spots clouded her vision, and she started to writhe on the tiled ground in the bathroom. She felt like her blood was boiling, like there was insane amount of blood in her body, and she would explode any second. The blood-rush started again, and there was no one around her this time.
"Too much blood," she grunted. "Too much."
The cellphone in her pocket felt heavy when she tried to call Kyoya-senpai. She breathed hard, trying to concentrate.
She turned on the water in the tub and climbed in, hoping the glacial water would cool her scorching body. The water made her skin shiver, but her insides felt as hot as if she was being cooked alive. She couldn't even press on the buttons of the phone to make a call. It took so much concentration and energy. No, she couldn't disturb him. It would appear desperate, and she was not a desperate person. Why was she even caring what he would think? It didn't even matter.
She just needed to let a bit of blood out and calm down. All she needed to do; just a small poke with a needle and a few drops of blood, and she would be fine. She dropped her cellphone on the floor and climbed out of the bathtub. Now she looked like a complete wreck, like those scary water monsters from horror movies. She grabbed the knitting toolbox and took out a small needle. Just a small prickle on the finger―a few blood droplets. It wasn't like she was a fairy tale princess and was going to fall asleep for a few centuries. Not that spending time in the Host Club didn't make her a little suspicious of these strange things.
She took a deep breath and poked her finger with a needle. The blood dripped slowly, but it didn't feel like she felt any better. It didn't feel like the way she felt when he had drunken her blood. It was surely better than the cold water, but her situation didn't improve at all. She tried again. This was madness. If she continued she would just bleed to death. She grabbed her phone with her wet fingers. She dialed his number.
Her heart started to pound faster, as the call signal stretched and no one picked the phone. But then suddenly a male voice spoke cheerfully. "Yes," she was taken back, because it wasn't senpai's voice, although he could hear his in the background, saying something about someone being an idiot.
"I..." she breathed hard, trying to speak without making her throat feel even more sore than it already was, "I am..."
"Haruhi," it was his voice, concerned, tender and soft.
.
"I knew I would find you locked up in the library again," Akito said with a cheeky smile on his face and walked up to him.
Kyoya looked up at him and shrugged dismissively, returning his attention to the book he was reading. It was already hard to read without Akito's presence, but now he certainly wouldn't be able to read anything. His eyes scanned the sentence again, and he realized he had been reading that for the past five minutes. He was uncharacteristically absentminded. Akito's persistent stare finally drove him off, and he slapped the book shut.
"Is there something you need, Akito-san?" he asked irritated.
"Well," Akito sat down, "Not really. But you definitely need some help. You look terrible. What is going on with you?"
"I am alright," Kyoya said curtly. "Just tired, and you know it's getting warmer, sunnier."
"You don't look alright," Akito said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "For the past few weeks, you have become very quiet, and you kind of look ill, like you are not yourself, or should I say, you have reverted back to your old self. You look unhealthy, you know?"
Kyoya glared at him this time. "Unhealthy?" he scoffed. "I am unhealthy, remember? For God's sake, leave me alone, I want to read."
"Is it something to do with you not seeing your little friend?" Akito grinned like he was guessing some world-important secret. "Did she find out?"
Kyoya didn't even look at Akito. Mention of Haruhi made his heart beat faster like it was running a marathon. He missed her like a little child, but he knew he had no right to be around her and jeopardize her education, her well-being, especially after what happened. She was fine. She messaged him, and he was glad to know that she was healthy and well. Since the holidays started, he didn't leave the house and mostly spent his time in his room or in the library, reading. The sunlight was starting to bother him, and he had to wear sun-protective creams, although they had little help against the ultraviolet rays that made him feel like he was being roasted alive.
"So it is her," Akito smiled, interrupting the silence again. "But it doesn't seem she had found out your secret. Wait? Are you avoiding her and sulking over it?"
"It doesn't concern you, with all respect, Akito-san please stay out of my business," Kyoya told him harshly, getting frustrated that his brother just wouldn't leave him be.
Akito snorted and then got up, but before he could leave, Kyoya's cell-phone rang. He quickly snatched it away and grinned like a maniac when he saw the caller ID.
"Seems like you sweet little friend has missed you, no?" Akito turned the phone on, "Yes!"
"You are total idiot, Akito-san," Kyoya complained. "Give me back my phone."
Akito looked a little surprised when his younger brother just grabbed the phone out of his hands and rolled his eyes like an annoyed parent.
"Haruhi," he spoke, shooting glares at Akito.
"Senpai," she responded in a muffled voice after a moment of shuffling and silence.
"Are you alright?" his voice went lower and became concerned.
"I am burning," she said and Kyoya's heart skipped an agonizing beat. "I..."
"Haruhi?" her voice went away, and he couldn't make out what she was exactly saying. "Are you there? can you hear me?"
There was no sound and no shuffling any more. If it was possible, he had paled a few shades more. He hadn't had any blood for a few days, and the thirst was slowly making him disoriented. He turned off the phone and ran out of the library, leaving behind puzzled Akito.
What has happened to her?
"Tachibana-san," he called his bodyguard. "I need to leave now. It's an emergency."
The car was ready by the time he walked out of the family house. Tachibana stared at him surprised, but didn't question his sudden decision to leave the house. He knew it was strange that he had stuck his head in books for so many days, but he didn't feel like going out at all. Especially after he had admitted to himself what he had felt for her.
He asked Aijima and Tachibana to wait for him outside her house and headed to her apartment. He knocked on the door, but there was no response, the door wasn't locked. He opened it and walked in.
"Haruhi? Where are you?"
There was no sound. Maybe she wasn't home. He was so worried he had lost all of his rationality and just rushed to come to her house without thinking that she might have been in a different place. But suddenly his senses tensed up when the smell of her sweet blood reached his nose.
"Haruhi?" he stared at the bloody floor in the bathroom horrified.
She was lying there unconscious and there was a small pool of blood around her. He rushed towards her and immediately checked her vitals. She was alive. What had happened to her? The spilled blood was very little. She must have lost her consciousness because of something else. But the cut on her hand didn't stop from bleeding. He needed to take her to the hospital. His heart was beating crazily. He took out his cellphone. He didn't care any longer if anyone knew about anything at all.
.
"Nakamura-sensei?" Kyoya rushed towards the woman who walked out of the room where Haruhi was taken to. "How is she?"
The woman had a scowl on her face, and Kyoya thought she was actually glaring at him.
"Why would she do that kind of thing?" the woman demanded scornfully, looking at Kyoya with her cheery eyes that looked a little dull that morning.
He stared at her confused as to what she was referring to and then only to realize that whatever had happened from her perspective to Haruhi must have looked like a suicide.
"She... Is she alright, Nakamura-sensei?" he asked ignoring her question.
"Did you break up with her?" she demanded, and Kyoya had to do everything to keep a composed expression on his face.
This woman needed to know better than to speak like that to him.
"I am sorry, Nakamura-sensei," he said politely. "I am very worried about Haruhi, and I would like to know what has happened to her. And I don't think she has attempted to end her life. It was an accident. Fortunately, she had called me before losing her consciousness, and I rushed to take her here."
The woman's expression softened all of a sudden, and she sighed. "I knew that you are not that kind of young man," she said in a tone as if she wasn't the one a minute ago accusing him of causing Haruhi's current state, even though he felt completely responsible for what had happened to her.
Kyoya nodded, hiding his impatience and looked at the woman in white coat expectantly. "We have stabilized her, but I wouldn't say that she is fine," the woman informed him. "You see she didn't actually lose any blood at all, but her wounds don't clot and despite that it doesn't seem she needs blood transfusion. It's absolutely unusual, and I just sent her samples to the lab for further study. It's as if her body is producing more blood than she needs. She had a high blood pressure when she was brought here. I was very worried first. You know thinking it might be a new variation of..." she cleaned her throat, Kyoya nodded in understanding. "But she is healthy. Something in her system is preventing her wounds from clotting. After the lab testings, I will be able to tell what is happening to her. Unfortunately, this is not really my field of study. My father... that old man... if he didn't go completely nuts..."
When she started grumbling quietly, Kyoya interrupted her. "Can I see her, Nakamura-san?"
The woman looked at her and shook her head and then sighed. "Fine, I can't break your heart," she said dramatically. "But be quick. We will need to do something about stopping her blood."
Kyoya nodded. He walked into the room. She was lying there in the bed, her wounds red in bandages, like the doctor said they wouldn't stop bleeding even though the cut was tiny. He knew it was his fault. He quietly walked up to her and tried not to breathe the air filled with the smell of her blood.
"Haruhi?" he called her softly.
"Kyoya-senpai?" she responded slowly, looking at him through her half-opened eyes. She looked very sleepy.
"You have regained your consciousness," he smiled. "How are you feeling? Is it burning?"
She gulped and nodded. "You know what you need to do," she said.
So that was it, huh? He had infected her with something strange, something that made her go into phases of producing more blood than she needed. How was that even possible? Was it something in his fangs? Some kind of poison? Or was it just her body's natural response? Why wouldn't her bleeding stop? He wasn't an idiot. He knew that he had bitten her several times, and she had no problems healing, in fact, the healing started to progressively happen faster. So maybe, something about his saliva, or something in his own body that made her so vulnerable. His hands started to shake, and it took him all his willpower to steady himself, not to fall on the ground.
"Senpai?" she questioned.
"Ah," he inhaled. "Yes, a minute."
He locked the door and walked back to her. Hopefully nobody would need to come in soon enough, otherwise he would need to explain why he locked the door. She nodded again. He undid her blood-soaked bandages and bit down on her arm. Her body convulsed and then it relaxed. The blood poured into his mouth, and he felt euphoric like he had been depraved of living for the past few weeks. It was so sweet. He couldn't stop himself from enjoying the creamy, smooth texture of her blood flowing through his throat into his head and filling his brain with endorphins. Her eyes lit up, and the dullness vanished, as if it has never been there.
"I am sorry, Haruhi," he said. "I am sorry that you have to endure this."
"It's not your fault. You are not guilty to be the way you are" she said firmly. "Sometimes we just can't help but be certain way. Just because not everyone is like us, doesn't mean something is wrong with us, and we have to apologize for it."
"Don't you understand?" he said. "I have done to this to you."
He waved his hands. "You are a smart woman, you must know what is happening to you. I think that's why you called me instead of calling ambulance. You know that whatever this is, it is the result of my actions."
"You didn't know," she sighed. "Now, you would have a case against yourself if you knew that something like this would have happened to me and manipulated me into it. Did you?"
"Who is to say that I didn't?" he asked sharply.
"You are not that kind of person," she said almost offended.
"I can't believe you are defending me."
She tried to sit up, now that she was feeling better, and her wounds stopped bleeding. Although her body was still sore, and Kyoya rushed to help her. She cleaned her throat and looked at him thoughtfully. "I am defending myself."
"How is this defending yourself?" he asked.
"I just like to believe that I would know better than be fooled by someone else's manipulations. I have always prided myself as a rational person, and I don't think I have made a poor judgement about your character. That would make me a completely useless future lawyer. Don't you agree?"
He laughed sadly. "You are one fascinating woman, Haruhi Fujioka, and it is almost insane how hard you are trying to win this case."
"Did I win it?" she asked.
"You always did," he said sadly as if he had lost some important battle he was fighting.
"Then," she said holding up her hand. "Let's be friends again?"
He smiled and held her hand. How innocent!
"Would you ever think of me as someone more than a friend?" he asked involuntarily.
"You want to be my..." she looked at him strangely and didn't finish her sentence.
More than a friend? What was it? What was more than a friend?
The door was knocked. Kyoya went to open it, and the lovely doctor walked in. Haruhi remembered her. She was the one who had treated her at Ouran after the accident.
"You are awake," she exclaimed, seeing Haruhi all well and seated.
Haruhi and Kyoya looked at his each for a moment. "I think I need to do another check up," Nakamura-san announced.
Kyoya nodded and politely bowing, left the room.
.
"I apologize, Yoshio-sama," Harada Goro respectfully bowed and stood in front of Yoshio's desk, "I didn't report because it was very difficult to find the girl young master was dating."
"Well, you were supposed to find out about her?" Yoshio said bluntly, annoyed that chief of his security had taken centuries to find out about some schoolgirl. He could have used her as a leverage long time ago.
"I have went with the wrong route searching her among the young women at Ouran excluding the scholarship honour student," he said slowly. "But I have finally spotted her with him, and it took me a long time to find her identity. Her name is Fujioka Haruhi."
Yoshio raised his head. Scholarship student? His son was playing love games with some lowly commoner. The pen in his hand broke from the pressure he had applied. He closed his eyes. How could that boy act like that? He thought he taught him better than that. It was a rebellion. No, he wasn't that stupid, was he?
Yoshio rubbed his nose and stared at the chief of his security. "What else did you find out about this girl?"
Harada Goro bowed and getting permission to continue spoke in his loud monotone voice. "Her mother has passed away when she was five. Her name was Fujioka Kotoko and she was a lawyer. Currently, she lives with her father; Fujioka Ryoji. He is...um... uhm―"
The man shifted clearly uncomfortably, cleaning his throat, as if to find a more proper way to say what he was about to say. Yoshio raised his eyebrows.
"He is working in a gay bar," he said with one breath, looking at his boss cautiously, as if he had just insulted his intelligence. "He is a cross-dresser and works as an entertainer."
Yoshio nodded silently. "Find more detailed information, Harada-san," he said blankly, returning his attention to the stack of documents.
Harada bowed and turned to leave. "And, Harada-san, please contact Kyoya and tell him to see me immediately."
The man nodded. "Yes, sir!"
That insolent boy! Yoshio's face wrinkled in anger and disgust. A commoner girl from a questionable family and with his condition! He would make sure to end this before anything went to papers. He had ignored the boy's stubborn behavior and allowed him too much freedom, and now he was getting involved with lowly girls. How could his son be so naive and foolish?
Not only was the girl a no-name commoner, but also the most ridicolous kind of commoner. Now the press would love to know that the youngest Ootori was dating a girl whose father was working in an okama bar. Wasn't that just splendid. Did the boy decided to disgrace the family honour?
Yoshio shook his head irritated.
There was a knock on the door, grabbing the old man's attention. He stared surprised at his youngest son who had opened the door and walked in.
He didn't expect to see him so soon, unless he was already in the hospital, which was also strange. In recent days he didn't look so well for some reason, descending back to his previous state, but today he had gained some of that liveliness he had had for some time.
"Father," he greeted politely with the most graceful bow and stood in perfectly straight posture, waiting to be invited.
"I wanted to see you," he said, gesturing him to sit. "But didn't expect you would be so quick to come."
"I was in the hospital when Harada-san called. Did something happen? He didn't specify but indicated that it was very important."
Why was he in the hospital? Yoshio looked carefully, searching through his features for any clues, but his countenance was impassive.
"Yes," Yoshio said, taking out his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "It is important, as I need to remind my son what it means to be an Ootori."
Kyoya's blinked. His face slightly darkened, but he kept his composure with perfect indifference.
"It appears you have forgotten your place and your obligations," he said with a harsher tone, causing Kyoya to raise his chin slightly higher. "You thought I wouldn't find out about the little girl you are parading around the school."
He chuckled and shook his head. Kyoya's face remained fixed on his father's face, all the emotions held back.
How much did he know?
"Parading around the school?" he said, mastering genuine surprise. "I am afraid I don't understand what you are speaking about, Father."
"Don't feign ignorance," he commanded. "I already know about this Fujioka girl, and I am very displeased. I hope you didn't think I would allow you to pull the family name into the mud and play games with a lowly commoner."
He clenched his fists.
"She is a friend," he said firmly with the most scornful tone he could get away with. "I don't think the information you were provided weren't someone crazy hallucinations."
"A friend, huh?" Yoshio scoffed. "You are making friends now. In all these years you had no friend and suddenly a commoner student in your school becomes your friend."
"Yes," he insisted. "She is a friend."
"You see I have been very patient with you, letting you decide to take a treatment, letting you attend a normal school, considering your condition and how even the slightest mistake can hurt family reputation, but you don't seem to appreciate it. I have thought you were more sensible than to make friends. And if she finds out about your condition, you know what will happen, right?"
Yoshio stood up. "Don't think that you put yourself in danger by affiliating with that girl," he said. "No, you put her in danger. If she were to found out, you know about you drinking blood, she would probably end up locked in a mental hospital."
His father smiled. "You didn't think I would let anything or anyone harm family honor. So know, that you have put that silly little girl in danger."
"She has nothing to do with anything," Kyoya said with slight impatience.
"Probably," Yoshio paced in the room. "But if she found out, I am sure she would have caused a lot of problems. Human beings, you see, are not very tolerant creatures towards things that are different. Your little friend is no different, and if she learnt your secret, not only she would be horrified, but probably would be too glad to make herself famous and would take this juicy news to the press. Those vulgar commoners can't wait to publish something outrageous anyways."
If only his father knew what kind of person Haruhi was, maybe, he wouldn't be so certain in his theory of how she would act. He was probably right about most people, but she wasn't most people.
"I am sorry, Father," Kyoya said, standing up too. "I don't understand what you mean."
"You don't, huh?" he said with sigh. "Stop this insolence! Get the treatment and know your place. As for the girl, I will take care that she won't attend Ouran anymore. It seems she is distracting you."
Kyoya inhaled calmly and turned to face his father. "Don't mix her into this. She has nothing to do with you. She is my friend and with all respect Father, I don't appreciate you threatening her well-being. You can try to get her expelled, go ahead and do it, but know, I will not sit aside and do nothing. If you do anything at all to Haruhi, it's not her, going to the press, you should worry about. I will make sure the whole world knows that your so perfect family is not so perfect after all. Want to try, I will just walk out and bite someone in the street. I don't have much to lose, do I? You already want to use me as a lab rat."
He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Yoshio shocked. The old man, rubbed his chest, trying to calm himself. Two conflicting thoughts rose in his head. One of an Ootori and the other of a father. As an Ootori, he couldn't say he wasn't proud and impressed with his youngest son's resolve and sense of pride and of course, the neat way he has blackmailed him. As a father, he was pissed that the boy disobeyed him and even dared to threaten. He smirked amused. So, he did show that she was more than a friend, didn't he?
A/N-Well, it turned to be completely crazy. I felt like at times it was a little bit too ridiculous, but hope you like it regardless. I hope you don't mind that Ranka's and Saori's friendship was implicit. There still will be parts with the two of them. I am curious to know what you think of Haruhi's and Kyoya's relationship here and also what do you think of Yoshio?